Visors are included as original equipment furnished with a motor vehicle to be disposed for extension across the windshield area of a motor vehicle in order to shield the driver and other occupant from the glare of the sun or alternative sources of light. Conventional visors do not provide uncomplicated and reliable methods of providing such protection from the sun's rays or other sources of light.
Numerous approaches have been taken in an attempt to address the problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,275 to Lutz discloses a housing having an auxiliary visor connected at two locations to the o visor originally mounted on the motor vehicle. Limiting stops having a lug sliding in an associated slot is used to prevent complete withdrawal of the auxiliary visors. In this construction, modification of the original visor is required to properly mount the housing containing the auxiliary visors. Furthermore, the mounting of the additional housing increases the thickness of the visor, thereby interfering with the positioning of the visor in the stored position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,829 to Matheopoulos discloses an adjustable bi-directional vehicle visor pivotally mounted to the vehicle adjacent the windshield allowing horizontal rotation between a stored position and an operating position. The device has an opaque first visor and a second transparent tinted visor which overlays the first visor in the stored position and is selectively pivotable about the first visor when in an operating position to permit shielding both at the front and sides simultaneously. The second visor may also be positioned in parallel alignment below the first visor. In this construction, the visor is incapable of providing additional glare protection axially from the visor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,142 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,314 to Gavagan discloses a visor assembly having one or more retractable glare screens integrated with the visor so as to be extended and retracted from the visor as required. The glare screens are guided for retracted movement by slot followers travelling in elongated guide slots formed in the visor center board member. In this configuration, a slot follower is required to limit travel of the blades. In addition, such a configuration is intended for use with a visor having a center board member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,176 to Karford discloses a visor extension unit which is adapted for releasable attachment to a conventional visor of a motor vehicle. The device includes a support frame having opposed surfaces and means for attaching one of the surfaces to the body of the visor. A pair of guide passages at opposite ends of the unit enable the visor panel to be manually moved in a horizontal direction extending either from the left side or the right side based on the location of the sun. In this construction, no limiting means exists for preventing the visor from being pulled completely outside the visor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,161 to Lee discloses an automobile visor having a vertical series of pivotally connected shield plates which are suspended from a horizontal hanging portion of a hanging rod rotatably mounted on a roof panel. The shield plates are in horizontal alignment when unfolded, each containing a side slot having a side plate horizontally extendable therefrom. In this construction, it is necessary to unfold at least one plate and then extend the insert horizontally to protect against glare. Furthermore, in this construction, no limiting means is provided for retaining the blade within one of the connected shield plates.
German Patent No. 23 32 613 to Vreeswijk discloses a vehicle visor having a handle to extend secondary blades in both the horizontal and vertical planes simultaneously by movement of a single lever. This construction is incapable of enabling movement of the single blade without simultaneous movement of the other blade.
German Patent No. DE 3421 850 to Heuckmann discloses an extra blade for an automobile visor which provides additional glare protection below the visor in the use position. In this configuration, the blade is retained within the slot by means and extensions on the secondary blade which abut shoulders adjacent the opening providing access to an internal section.
An alternative approach has been adopted by Prince Corporation which utilizes a follower on the blade cooperating with a track integrally formed in the opposing shell half. The predetermined length of the track controls the extension of the blade.
The present invention incorporates many of the known benefits of an extendable visor while improving the internal components used to manufacture the visor as well as improving the ease of use for the occupant.